A 22-year-old woman from Musina has accused staff at Musina Hospital of negligence after she had given birth alone in a general ward on Saturday night, 28 June. Her five-month premature baby died shortly after delivery.
Monica Madumi was admitted to the hospital on Friday but was not placed in the maternity ward. She said she had called for help several times, but no one had responded until after the baby had been born. Her family has since lodged a formal complaint.
"I went to the hospital because my water had broken, although it wasn't much. A doctor scanned me and said everything looked fine. But during an internal exam, I was told my womb had started opening and wouldn't close again – I had to deliver or risk a miscarriage," said Madumi.
That night, she began bleeding. Staff allegedly told her there was nothing they could do. The following day, a male doctor examined her, told her she was fine, and refused to conduct another internal check. Madumi said she had continued to report heavy bleeding, but no action had been taken.
By 21:00, she was changing sanitary pads every five minutes. Around midnight, she passed a large clot and called for help, but no one came. She cleaned herself in the toilet before a nurse arrived, handed her a nappy, and called a doctor.
A scan later revealed that the placenta had begun to detach. The doctor recommended inducing labour with a drip, but Madumi initially declined, following her mother's advice. "I had already accepted I was going to lose my baby. This had happened before at the same hospital," she said.
When asked why she had refused the drip at first, she explained: "I wasn't ready at that time." She was later given the drip, and that evening, while lying in bed, she felt contractions. "I called for help, but no one came. I had to push on my own. The baby came out, but the head was still inside. A passing nurse saw me and ran to get help. By the time staff returned, the baby was fully delivered," she said.
Madumi said nurses had scolded her for refusing the induction earlier. "I apologised. I wasn't trying to cause trouble. It was just painful." A doctor was later called to remove the placenta. She has not yet received the results of the baby's autopsy.
Her mother, Precious Madumi, said this was the second such incident involving Monica at Musina Hospital. "We complained the first time she miscarried, but nothing was done."
She claimed the hospital is understaffed and poorly managed. "The doctor was called from home and arrived late. It's rare to find a doctor there. They don't check patient records, and it puts lives at risk."
She said that during the first miscarriage, her daughter had carried the deceased baby for nearly a week after the placenta had ruptured. "She should have been taken to the theatre earlier. Even now, she still has stomach pain."
Limpopo Department of Health spokesperson Neil Shikwambana confirmed they had received the complaint from Madumi's fiancé. "Our preliminary checks indicate the patient was attended to. Standard medical protocols were followed, and she was referred to a psychologist and social worker," he said.
He denied claims of staff shortages, stating: "The night shift had three professionals managing 25 patients across the male and female wards." He added that the hospital had had 23 and 25 inpatients on 29 and 30 June respectively.
"The family was offered psychological support, which they declined. The complaint management team is working on remedial action if any shortcomings are identified," said Shikwambana.
Limpopo Mirror spoke to an experienced midwife, who did not want to be identified for professional reasons. She said that in the medical fraternity, 28 weeks of pregnancy is generally regarded as the minimum threshold for admission to a maternity ward. Before this point, the foetus is not considered viable outside the womb, and pregnant women experiencing complications are typically admitted to a general ward instead. In this case, the patient was reportedly 20 weeks pregnant.
She added that the patient's medical history should also be taken into account. If there is a history of miscarriages, it may point to underlying genetic or medical issues. An autopsy report may clarify why the baby had died.